News Archives: Pipestone Creek Dinosaur Revealed

Wednesday, October 1st, 2008

A new dinosaur species, Pachyrhinosaurus lakustai, from Alberta, Canada unveiled
A new Pachyrhinosaurus species from the Pipestone Creek bone bed, near Grande Prairie, Northwest Alberta was unveiled October 1, 2008 at Grande Prairie Regional College in Grande Prairie, Alberta. As well, the event marked the release of the monograph, "A New Horned Dinosaur from an Upper Cretaceous Bone Bed in Alberta" by Philip J. Currie, Wann Langston, Jr., and Darren H. Tanke, published by NRC Research Press, as it was introduced as part of the announcement presentation.
Dr. Philip J. Currie, Canada Research Chair of Dinosaur Palaeobiology at the University of Alberta, and former head of Dinosaur research at the Royal Tyrrell Museum, co-authored this publication with Dr. Wann Langston Jr. of the University Texas at Austin, formerly of the National Museum of Canada, and Darren Tanke of The Royal Tyrrell Museum.
The new dinosaur species, Pachyrhinosaurus lakustai, was described from a location 30 kilometres southwest of Grande Prairie, Alberta. It is named to honour its discoverer, Al Lakusta, a now retired Grande Prairie science teacher. Lakusta's excavations and study in the 1970s led the Royal Tyrrell Museum to begin the excavation of the bone bed in 1986. Grande Prairie Regional College has provided logistical, engineering and volunteer help for the excavations since the project began.
Dr. Currie explained that Northern Alberta was not known for its dinosaur material until Lakusta put the Pipestone Creek location on the paleontological map. The density of the site is exceptional with more than 100 bones per square metre. The rich fossil material has made it possible to reconstruct not just the animals but also their growth patterns, herding lifestyle and their catastrophic demise at the site.
Since the last field season of excavating the Pipestone Creek site, many new dinosaur discoveries have been made in Northwest Alberta. A missing chapter of the paleontological history of Alberta is being uncovered in the Northwest. This seminal publication coupled with new sites being discovered yearly strengthens Alberta's position as one of the best dinosaur locations in the world.
BACKGROUND:
A new dinosaur species, Pachyrhinosaurus lakustai from Alberta, Canada unveiled.
Pachyrhinosaurus lakustai, a new species of dinosaur from Pipestone Creek, near Grande Prairie in Northwest Alberta was revealed on October 1, 2008 at Grande Prairie Regional College with the launch of the monograph, "A New Horned Dinosaur from an Upper Cretaceous Bone Bed in Alberta" by Philip J. Currie, Wann Langston, Jr., and Darren H. Tanke (published by NRC Research Press).
Dr. Philip J. Currie, Canada Research Chair of Dinosaur Palaeobiology at the University of Alberta, and former head of Dinosaur research at the Royal Tyrrell Museum co-authored this publication with Dr. Wann Langston Jr. of the University Texas at Austin, formerly of the National Museum of Canada, and Darren Tanke of The Royal Tyrrell Museum.
The new dinosaur species, Pachyrhinosaurus lakustai, was described from a location 30 kilometres southwest of Grande Prairie, Alberta. It was named to honor its discoverer, Al Lakusta, a now retired Grande Prairie science teacher. Lakusta's excavations and study in the 1970s led the Royal Tyrrell Museum to begin the excavation of the bone bed in 1986. Grande Prairie Regional College has provided logistical, engineering and volunteer help for the excavations throughout the project.
Dr. Currie explained that Northern Alberta was not known for its dinosaur material until Lakusta put the Pipestone Creek location on the paleontological map.
"Northwest Alberta was not known previously for dinosaur material and these finds certainly filled the gap. The density of the Pipestone Creek bonebed is exceptional and surpasses many of Alberta's other ceratopsian bonebed sites. The preservation of the material is outstanding and was easy to collect. The number of bones, from all age groups, made complex investigations possible regarding behavior and growth patterns."
"Scientific examination and description of these fossils revealed a herd of dinosaurs that perished in some catastrophic event 72.5 million years ago. The animals of Pipestone Creek are characterized by a bony frill on the back of the skull ornamented with smaller horns. They also had large bony structures (bosses) above their nose and eyes which lends them their name: Pachyrhinosaurus (thick-nosed lizard). These structures probably supported horns of keratin," said Currie.
As the site contains fossils from young and old individuals alike, it was possible to describe individual variations and growth patterns, investigate the possibility of sexual dimorphism, and hypothesize on a herding lifestyle.
With this new species, announced Currie, researchers will now have more data to give us a better understanding of the ancient life and ecosystems in northwestern Alberta 73 million years ago. This view was echoed by Jack O'Toole, Chair of the Pipestone Creek Dinosaur Project.
"The Pipestone Creek Dinosaur Project is currently developing these resources as the northern part of an overall provincial network of palaeontological sites, to present them as a world-class tourism, education, and research centre that benefits local communities, the Province of Alberta and Canada," said O'Toole. "Dr Currie's publication is very important to us. It puts our region on centre stage in the scientific community. Ongoing cooperation between Grande Prairie Regional College, the Royal Tyrrell Museum and the University of Alberta has uncovered many additional sites and fossils in our region. Thanks to continued research, we now have a better understanding of the geology of the area as well. The communities of northwestern Alberta are excited to have such a unique resource. "
The richness of the Pipestone Creek site means that dinosaur research in northern Alberta will continue. Andrew Neuman, Executive Director of the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, explained the importance of the site. "The excavations at Pipestone Creek provide us with many rewards." Neuman said. "Working on a previously unknown site that is abundant in dinosaur material shows how rich the entire province of Alberta is in palaeontological resources. Cooperation between the Royal Tyrrell Museum and Grande Prairie Regional College during the excavation greatly contributed to the success of this project, and interest in this area is still ongoing as we continue to work together and discover more about Northwest Alberta."
Since the last field season of excavating the Pipestone Creek site, many new dinosaur discoveries have been made in Northwest Alberta. A missing chapter of the paleontological history of Alberta is being uncovered in the Northwest. This seminal publication coupled with new sites being discovered yearly strengthens Alberta's position as one of the best dinosaur locations in the world.
For more information please contact:
Katalin Ormay
Communications Coordinator
Pipestone Creek Dinosaur Project
kormay@gprc.ab.ca
Leanna Mohan,
Marketing Coordinator
Royal Tyrrell Museum
Leanna.Mohan@gov.ab.ca
Julie Naylor
Communications Manager
Faculty of Science, University of Alberta
julie.naylor@ualberta.ca